Committee of Solidarity with Activists and Detainees of Conscience in Bahrain
April 24th , 2007.
The detainees of Karbabad -Sayed Ali Sayed Akbar (20 yrs), Jaafar Sadiq Kadhem (21 yrs), and Mahmood Ali Mahdi (22yrs) –were summoned today at Fourth Lower Criminal Court who were released on April 9, 2007 on bail of 500 Dinars each. After the deliberation of their defense lawyers, the judge, Mane’a Alboflassah, ruled the postponement of the trial to May 30th, 2007 of crowd and riot charges against them by the Public Prosecutor.
Yesterday, April 23, 2007, was the third court session of Jaafar Salman Yousif (23 yrs) from Karranh, Rahdi Ali Radhi (22 yrs) from Abu Saiba, who were arrested since the beginning of the fourth week of last February after protests in Bani Jamrah and Jassem Jaafar Madan (25 yrs) from Hamad town, who was arrested in the same period, aftermath protests in Daih. The coroner report was supposed to be read after their defense counsel request due to subjecting the detainees to torture during detention and interrogation. The judge decided to postpone the two cases to Sunday, May 13 th, 2007 to issue the verdict against the three defendants to charges of rioting and crowds, as per articles 178 and 179 of the Penal Code.
Committee of Solidarity with Activists and Detainees of Conscience in Bahrain
April 24th , 2007.
The detainees of Karbabad -Sayed Ali Sayed Akbar (20 yrs), Jaafar Sadiq Kadhem (21 yrs), and Mahmood Ali Mahdi (22yrs) –were summoned today at Fourth Lower Criminal Court who were released on April 9, 2007 on bail of 500 Dinars each. After the deliberation of their defense lawyers, the judge, Mane’a Alboflassah, ruled the postponement of the trial to May 30th, 2007 of crowd and riot charges against them by the Public Prosecutor.
Yesterday, April 23, 2007, was the third court session of Jaafar Salman Yousif (23 yrs) from Karranh, Rahdi Ali Radhi (22 yrs) from Abu Saiba, who were arrested since the beginning of the fourth week of last February after protests in Bani Jamrah and Jassem Jaafar Madan (25 yrs) from Hamad town, who was arrested in the same period, aftermath protests in Daih. The coroner report was supposed to be read after their defense counsel request due to subjecting the detainees to torture during detention and interrogation. The judge decided to postpone the two cases to Sunday, May 13 th, 2007 to issue the verdict against the three defendants to charges of rioting and crowds, as per articles 178 and 179 of the Penal Code.
In the same context, Eleven minors (mostly in full-study) have been summoned last Wednesday (April 18) with their lawyers. These were previously released two weeks after their arrest because their presence in the vicinity of protesting events in the previous period. The minors were screened by age; three of them, younger than 15 years, have been instructed to a special court to hold its first meeting on May 2 nd. The eight others (15 – 19 years) were directed to the Lower Criminal Court, which ruled to postpone the issue for another session on May 28th, 2007 hearing where the defense lawyers will present their deliberation. All the minors denied the charges of crowd and riot brought against them by the judge of the court.
This brings the number of Bahrainis under trial on charges of rioting and crowd after the wave of protests in the past two months to 17 children and youth. However, those who had been in custody pending interrogation by the Department of Public Prosecutions are 4 as follows:
Ø Mohammad Ashour (29 years) from the village Karzakan, who was observed on the afternoon of April 13 th, facing a wall beside Ras Al-Rumman Grand Mosque, while being severely beaten by members of the special security forces. The Public Prosecutor (PP) ordered his incarceration for 10 days pending interrogation ended on Sunday, April 22, when he was summoned before the public that day. Mohamed Ashour has been requested from the PP judge to have him referred to the coroner for the beatings and severe torture during arrest and interrogation, which included scrutiny of his mobile phone, reading his sms and ask about it, in an illegal manner. The Public Prosecutor decided to extend the custody of Mohamed Ashour another 10 days pending further interrogation.
Ø Ahmed Mirza Ahmed (22), Karim Ahmed Khamis (20 years), Nasser Saleh Sharif (19 years) from the village of Jid Al-Hajj were abducted rom their car on Friday April 13 in the Sanabis during protests in that area then. The Public Prosecutor renewed their custody ten days more for interrogation, ending on May 2.
On the other hand, signs show the presence of detainees, whose fate is anonymous, and there is grave concern for their lives and health, including two youth:
Ø Mahmoud Hassan Saleh from Daih village who was detained on last March 29 after being subjected to bloody and brutal beating by members of the Special Forces. Two days after his arrest with eyes covered, he was accompanied by members of the Criminal Investigations Department and heavily guarded security forces to small meadow, locally known by “Abdukrasool’s” in the region between Sanabis and Daih. Mahmoud was allowed to enter the meadow with photographers of the Ministry of Interior, which was filming a video camera each course event.
Ø Ali Ahmed Salim (19 years) – from “Hellat Abdelsaleh” village- who was arrested on the morning of Monday, April 2 nd, from his work place which was besieged by heavily armed special forces.
As for the protest activities, Duraz village witnessed last Saturday evening (April 21) confrontations between demonstrators and security forces, who cordoned off the area and showered it with tear gas and rubber bullets. The protesters in turn set fire blaze to tires and garbage containers, a situation continued till late that night. This came as a result of a number of residents Duraz and supporters picketed peacefully at the leading round about of the region, raised pictures of prisoners in addition to demands of improving the human rights situation. The picketing did not lasted so long before being ambushed by security forces on protesters (men and women) by heavy firing of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets in order to disperse them. A large number of security cars were observed at the entrance to Duraz, with protesters distributed in different places confronting with the security forces, which tried more than once to penetrate inside the village.
The Committee of Activists and Detainees of Conscience expresses its grave concern about the trend implemented by the Bahraini Authorities which accelerates the state of security tension. The continued detention and trial of the Bahraini youth, as well as minors and children – whether involved or lived or were close to or in the protests, reflect an intolerant attitude by the Bahraini Authorities towards protest activities which evidences confirm that they begin peacefully by protesters and end into violence after interference of Special Forces –using excessive means of force and without warning- to disperse such protests. Witnesses also confirmed that those forces besiege areas of protests and punish, collectively, all residents with tear gas and rubber bullets, cordoning it and preventing ambulances to enter for the sick and injured. These disturbing attitudes of the Bahraini Authorities are in flagrant defiance of pledges and covenants, which Bahrain declared its commitment to. It also reflects bad image a member of the UN Human Rights Council who is supposed to be a good model looking forward to renewing its membership in these days.